I've wondered, with all the complaining people do about how the mass media is so horrible, why they don't listen to more shortwave broadcasts? If shortwave was to make a comeback, an uptick in the popularity of ham radio would very quickly follow.

The vast majority of shortwave radios do not have the ability to receive SSB. That was fine back in the day when most HF hams were on AM, but not today.

One point occurs--all of this discussion and idea swapping is really about what amounts to be a non-issue. The ham ranks are growing. They've topped 700,000 in the US now, and it stands to reason that all of those newbies are NOT middle aged men with beer guts!

I'm confident that they're not all beer guts. I'm just making the point of image. Go to a hamfest, radio club, VE testing session, etc.... places where new hams are likely to go or have to go. That's what I've seen in my major metro area. I don't exactly qualify for youth, but I did when I got my novice in 1990ish and it was that way then too. Like I said, I agree with the post someone made that it takes a special kind of kid. I guess I was one of those. Amateur radio doesn't, and in my opinion won't, appeal to the mass youth consumer/hobby market.

In a number of previous posts a lot was said about the needed infrastructure in order to implement my ideas. However, it occurred to me that other MAJOR systems have been developed, implemented, and expanded for similar ham radio purposes. I am specifically thinking of APRS, IRLP, EchoLink, and the WIN System. Add to that the current and future capabilities of D-STAR and, in my opinion, this greatly reinforces the plausibility of my original suggestions.

The way to interest people of all ages is to find those few who are interested in radio for its own sake.

I definitely agree with this. I like radio because it ISN'T a cell phone.

I'm a newb myself to HAM radio as of this week actually and I have an iPhone. The thing is, if you make HAM radios as modern as the original poster is stating with things like texting and we browsing and other modern dohingys you are basically turning HAM radio into just another Smart Device. The reason I wanted to get into HAM was because I had a background in communications repair in the USMC. I also like the mystique about HAM and how well it works even though its an older technology. I think to get kids involved you need to bring back the mystique of Amateur Radio. How many things out there are still as functional as a HAM radio and that have been used for over half a century and will continue on. I want to get my daughters who are 14 and 12 involved but right now they think I'm a geek which is partially true as I am quite a bit gamer on my computer and did the Dungeons and Dragons thing but I think if I show them how kewl it is for the simple fact that its been around for so long and has quite an awesome history to it and how functional and practical it still is they will become interested. Even my wife asked why I wanted to do this, what was my reasoning. I related it to the old and lost times of Pen Pals and when people actually had to have face to face or voice to voice conversations. I said that meeting new people was fun to do and with a similar interest there really isn't a downside to making friends via HAM. Anyways, its late and I've gone on a ramble like I do when I am tired. Sorry to reopen an old thread but I found it interesting and I hope my 2c made sense...

Great ideas by the original and followup posts.It never has been and never will be the we cant's that will move the hobby foreward. Technology has moved fasterthen some of our mindsets allow. Dits and dahs are still the oz that werevel and regal. Let's communicate with Sats, the space station anddats just for starters the moon and mars are yet to be ours for tomorrow. Wirelessis tireless come one and all.

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